Alt right (short for “Alternative Right”) refers to an ultra-right wing political movement that rejects mainstream conservatism in favor of white nationalism, isolationist policies and protectionism, and a rejection of multiculturalism and political correctness. The founder of the website, AltRight.com, Richard Spencer claims to have coined the term as far back as 2010. Spencer has stated that he rejects the label of white supremacist, referring to himself instead as an “identitarian.” He has advocated for a white homeland for a “dispossessed white race” and called for “peaceful ethnic cleansing” to reverse the “deconstruction” of American European culture. He has been known to denounce all manner of minority groups and has quoted Nazi propaganda.

Alt Right may be a shiny new term for Spencer and his ilk, but make no mistake, the Alt Right movement is nothing new, just a modern day recycling of hateful, racist thought and rhetoric, no different than that of the Neo-Nazi and the White Supremacist. One need look no further than that invitation (our featured image) for their latest and now infamous Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Nazi iconography is unmistakable, as is the glorification of the Confederacy.

The Alt Right seeks to give legitimacy to their movement with their catchy and polished modern name and with the president that they have rallied behind and for whose election they take credit. One could make the argument that the Trump is not responsible for these people supporting him and using his name in their rallies. With millions of Trump supporters, he cannot pick and choose who decides to support him, right? He did just come out yesterday using strong words to condemn these groups after all…albeit after caving following 2 full days of political pressure to do so (after his notorious refusal to denounce these groups on the day of the tragic events of the Unite the Right rally).

There is also the problem that Trump’s campaign rhetoric in large measure echoed their own positions of anti-Muslim, Anti-Immigrant, rejection of political correctness, and even inciting violence at his own campaign rallies. As icing on the cake, Steve Bannon not only played a prominent role as a senior campaign adviser, but now occupies a prominent position in Trump’s White House as Chief Strategist.

So what is it about Steve Bannon that has everyone so frazzled? He served as Executive Chairman of Breitbart, a site that stands out prominently as a sounding board for the Alt Right. Not only do this site’s authors engage in abysmal and unapologetic racist rhetoric, they also peddle unsubstantiated ultra-right wing conspiracy stories like the Pizzeria that served as a Clinton linked pedophile ring and her orchestration of the murder of Seth Rich in light of his connection to Wikileaks’ publishing of hacked DNC e-mails. Their user forums are a toxic open sewer for the racially charged hate, and Steve Bannon famously characterized Breitbart as being a platform for the Alt Right.